Blossom
by Yitz
Summary: This brief vignette tells the story of a mayor and his decision on how to act on his long-lived love for Kicks. If it wasn't obvious, this story has light male slash. Nothing graphic, though.
1. Part 1

Winter came like a dream: memories of the Harvest Festival had slowly but soundly faded, the sky began turning dark in the afternoon, and notices on the announcement board started to appear, warning of incoming flurries. Who posted them? No one knew for sure; it didn't seem to matter. There was too much else to think about, like the best Toy Day gifts or seasonal decorations. The earth was now covered in snow, a pale blanket that hid the old brownness of dying grass and made everything sort of beautiful again. The thing that didn't change was the clothing choices of the villagers; in a town full of fur-covered animals, there was no need for mittens or ear muffs.

Except when it came to me, the mayor. I was, after all, a human being, with fair, pink skin that was defenseless against the plummeting temperatures. But I'd had plenty of warnings. "Mayor, sir, it's going to get cold soon," Isabelle had cautioned me for weeks. "Mayor, sir, it's _really_ going to get cold soon," which finally became, "Mayor, sir! You really should think about getting some winter clothes!" She reminded me of my mother in a way; they were twins in their constant, excessive concern for my wellbeing. But I listened to Isabelle's advice. I zipped my body into a jacket and wrapped a scarf around my neck - these were things I'd brought from home. But I still needed boots, and for that there was only one place to go.

There was something that intimidated me about walking to Kicks' little store on main street. My intimidation stemmed from another powerful feeling, though, and there were several words to choose from to describe it; I might have said "infatuation" or "attraction." Or "love." But that wasn't the word I wanted; I liked to think of love as something that was shared, always, and never an unrequited thing. It felt strange to use, anyway, and tasted foreign in my mouth, like a spice. Maybe, though, it was the accurate word; maybe it was the best way to convey the pull beyond attraction that made me want to look after Kicks and ensure his happiness.

I suppose what I feared, truly, was rejection; it seemed inevitable. It could be a species thing or a gender thing - these were the most likely outcomes, but there were a myriad of reasons I viewed myself as potentially undesirable. And yet, somehow there was still some part of me that thought it was at least worth a shot. It whispered "why not?" to me in bed at night, until finally I said it myself. What I decided on, finally, was a sign. I would wait until the right moment when, through some magic, I'd know it was the right time. It was admittedly silly but it gave me some comfort, and by avoiding Kicks' shop (and my feelings) for a while, things managed to remain relatively stable.

Unfortunately that would no longer work. Boots for winter were a necessity, and that _need_ outweighed the _want_ to protect myself from my emotions, which I feared would become beyond control if I became too close to Kicks. But I couldn't walk through piles of snow in my tennis shoes - that was for certain. So I reluctantly made the short journey across the train tracks and onto main street, where Kicks' store sat cozily on the far right end.

As I pushed the door open, I immediately noticed that the store was empty, which only served to heighten my anxiety. It meant, of course, that all the attention would be on me, because it'd just be the two of us: Kicks and myself. "Alone with him," the oxymoron that was the only way to describe the situation. Trying to hide my uncertainty, I entered the shop and looked around. Kicks had been dusting off one of the racks, when he turned around to see who had just arrived. He gave me a grin, the kind that could have melted my heart if I hadn't been prepared, and said, "Mister Mayor! Nice to see your face in here."

I nodded, still wearing my stupid smile, and shifted my gaze to the shoes on display. There was always the odd assortment, but I zeroed in on a tan-colored pair of snow boots that sat proudly in the middle.

Kicks followed my eyes. "Oh, are you interested in those boots? Good choice. Very appropriate for this time of year. You wanna try them on?" I nodded again, and started walking over to pick them up, but before I could, Kicks stopped me. "Hey," he said. "This is a quality establishment here! I'll put 'em on for you."

"Oh, okay," I said, uttering my first words since entering the shop and probably sounding like an idiot. I sat down on the ledge beneath the display, and while Kicks grabbed the boots from there, I took off my own shoes. He sat down before me and helped ease each of my feet into the boots, and then began to tie them on. As Kicks worked, I wondered how the stubble on my cheek would feel against the soft fur of his face. And if I took that face into my hands and brushed my lips against his forehead or pressed them into his neck, would he say I was being too aggressive? That he wanted a girl, or another skunk? Then I would know for sure that it was all over.

I heard myself whimper.

Kicks looked up at me. "Whoa, you awright? Did I tie it too tight? I can loosen this if you want."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine," I said, and then beamed, hopefully negating any impact the involuntary noise of distress I'd just made. I tried to guess on a scale of one to ten how greatly I'd embarrassed myself in the small span of time I'd spent in the shop, and that elicited a genuine laugh from me. Thankfully, Kicks did not comment on my odd behavior, and just gave me a confused smile before he began putting on the other boot. After he finished, he asked me to walk around a bit and see how they felt. I decided to wear them out, so I handed over the bells, offered an awkward goodbye and left the store.

On a base level, I had accomplished what I'd come there to do, though at the same time I was disappointed in thinking that I'd distanced myself from Kicks even further. There was a push-and-pull feeling inside of me: on the one hand, a strong desire to maintain that distance and protect myself, but on the other, a wish for closeness and a chance to maybe, just maybe, bring some small part of my love for Kicks into reality. Yet I wasn't prepared to embark on that, as I'd fixed in my mind that I would wait for my sign, and I hadn't found it that day.

It would come tomorrow.


	2. Part 2

The weather in my new village was different than my hometown. Of course, there were plenty of similarities: nature went through its harmonious cycle of warm and cold, wet and dry, calm and expressive. But there was something unusual about the wintertime; in my new town of residence, despite the lower temperature and piles of snow, the plants other than the grass did not die. When I questioned Isabelle about this, she said she didn't know what I was talking about, and although I pressed her, she seemed to be genuinely perplexed. "Well, Mayor, sir, the trees only die if you cut them down," Isabelle had said, trying her best to offer some sort of response. "But why would anything else die just because of a change of season?"

It had been a bizarre experience getting used to the unfamiliar scenery; walking down the paths and seeing trees still covered in rust-colored leaves, many even bearing fruit. But I supposed I shouldn't let it affect me much. When the rivers failed to freeze over and my neighbors continued merrily fishing, I'd hardly given it a thought. I recalled bringing it up casually in conversation with my good friend Cookie, but she'd seemed to have misunderstood the question and instead began a gleeful rant about her love of fishing in the wintertime and the bait she preferred to use. Cookie! Thinking of her without smiling was impossible.

The thing I liked the most about these new winters, though, was the flowers. In my old town, they'd wilt and die, leaving either a small darkened stumps, or else nothing at all. But now they remained, and seeing the pretty roses I'd planted weeks earlier continuing to grow vibrantly through the snow made me happy and energized me. I'd been walking along admiring them, when I noticed something out of the ordinary. It was not one of the things I was used to seeing, like the occasional weed or crushed snowball; this was a blossom, gorgeous and unexpected. It was a white carnation.

My first thought was wondering where it had come from. Initially I reasoned that someone must have planted it, but I couldn't recall ever seeing carnation seeds for sale at Leif's store. So I considered another option: had the flower grown there spontaneously? I reached down and touched the petals gently, their soft whiteness matched by the snow. On a strangle impulse, I moved my hand down and squeezed the stem between my fingernails, separating the flower from its base but leaving the stem, in hopes that a new one would bloom. I stood up, then, holding the carnation in my hand. It had come from nowhere, but appeared to me... and then I knew. This must have been it: my sign. In a way I'd only been partially expecting it to actually come, and now that it was in my palm I wasn't sure how I felt. It was the same push-and-pull as before, the conflicting inclinations regarding my feelings for Kicks. But I'd made a promise to myself, and there was no going back now; my sign was here, and I would act.

I held the carnation as I made my second travel of the week to Kicks' shop. It was snowing this time, and I was thankful for the boots I'd bought from him as I made footprints in the white ground. My feelings of anxiety from the previous day had returned much more intensely, but as I peered at the flower I carried, I reaffirmed that I would stick to my word, whatever the result may be.

When I walked into the store, it was obvious that once again I would be the only customer there, but this time it was for the best. As Kicks looked to identify who had arrived, his expression at seeing me was one of surprise. "Mister Mayor, you're back again?" Then he looked a little concerned. "Was something wrong with the boots?"

"No, they're great," I mumbled. "Actually..." I held the carnation in my hand behind my back and forced myself to look directly at Kicks. "Actually, I'm not here to talk to you about shoes at all today," I said and then gave another one of my classic smiles so forced they made me look like a moron.

Kicks tilted his head to the side, now beginning to appear really dumbfounded. "Okay, so... whatcha need?"

I swallowed hard. I hadn't thought of what words I was going to say, and though I was usually fairly good at thinking on my feet, I had my doubts that those particular skills were going to make themselves present at this moment. I needed to be direct, but I didn't want to overload him; what was the best way? The thoughts ran through my mind in an instant as I made an effort not to create a bloated, awkward silence. "I like you a lot," I said finally. "And if you would go out with me sometime, that would be nice. And also I want to give you this," I blurted, and then held out the carnation.

Kicks blinked and then glanced from me to the flower, which he gingerly took and examined.

"Anyway I guess I'll see you around," I said, and after Kicks nodded I quickly excused myself from the shop. As I closed the door behind me, I blew some air through my lips and tried to calm down. Well, it certainly could have gone worse. I started to walk home, thinking that when I got there I would take a relaxing shower or nap to help me wear off some of the nervousness I'd been filled with earlier. I'd gotten about as far as the edge of the Able Sisters' store when I heard rapid footsteps behind me. I stopped and turned around to see who was there; it was Kicks. I had no idea what to expect, so I just stuck my hands in my pockets and waited for him to catch up with me.

"I didn't get a chance to say thank you," he told me. "For the flower." He was still holding onto it. "And also for the rest of what you said."A blush began to appear beneath the dark blue fur on his face. "If you meant it, and you wanna go somewhere with me... I think that'd be awright. It would be good, actually."

Once again, I didn't know what words to use. Different feelings washed over me: happiness, relief, and then embarrassment; and in the end what I decided to say was, "I would like it a lot." Kicks nodded, and then pulled off his hat and held it to his chest, staring up at me, and then he looked fragile and beautiful, like the carnation I'd given him. I looked at the individual in front of me, the skunk that I'd loved for a long time, now before me, shy and unsure.

I placed my palms on Kicks' cheeks, holding the tiny face in my hands tenderly; then I leaned down and kissed the top of his head, soft and warm amidst the coldness of the weather. He liked that. Kicks leaned into me and we hugged, his head cuddled in the space between my neck and shoulder. As I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him tighter, I felt the reassuring thump of his heart beating against my chest.

"I... I'll protect you," I said softly.

Kicks looked up and smiled at me; not the confused half-grin he'd given me in the shop yesterday, but a real smile, gentle and full of love. And it felt like the only thing I ever needed.


End file.
